The Wey & Arun Canal Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Conservation Officer who will start his duties immediately. His first priority will be the landscaping that is required on the new lowered banks and winding hole at Loxwood in West Sussex (part of the Trust's ambitious project to reinstate the canal crossing under the main road in Loxwood).

Michael Joseph is a recently retired airline pilot and was formerly a mechanical engineer with Rolls-Royce Aero Engines. He has had a lifelong interest in the natural world, green transport and renewable energy. His wife Jane is a trained ecologist and worked for the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service and also the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology at Monks Wood, Cambridge. Since moving into their 400-year-old farm cottage 23 years ago, Michael and Jane have together restored half an acre of pasture back to a superb wildflower meadow with pond and hedgerow. They have two sons, both of whom work on the canal restoration as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme community service section. Michael is the owner of a small traditional wooden sailing dinghy which he has used with an electric outboard at boat rallies on the canal.

Peter Foulger, Chairman of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust, commented: 'We firmly believe that restoration brings huge ecological benefits to the whole canal corridor. As the restoration of the canal gathers pace, we are very pleased that Michael will contribute his experience and enthusiasm to making sure that our conservation policies remain thoroughly responsible and up-to-date.'

A photograph in the form of a JPEG file can be obtained from the Wey & Arun Trust's Public Relations Officer: Sally Schupke (01483 560543): email: pr@weyandarun.co.uk

For general information on the work of the Wey and Arun Canal Trust, please telephone the Trust office on 01403 752403.